DES MOINES, Iowa (KCRG) – On Monday, the Iowa Attorney General’s Office announced that the March 25, 2024 fatal shooting in Waterloo was justified. At 11:56 a.m., emergency crews received a call from a physician at Mercy One Hospital requesting a welfare check for John Carl Piazza. Piazza reportedly visited the hospital seeking help for anxiety but left and talked about wanting to “kill something.” Officials then followed Piazza to a nearby Casey’s, where they observed him with a black gun in his waistband. At 2:46 p.m., emergency crews received a 911 call from a local business, stating that Piazza had entered the shop demanding to see the owner. When Piazza was informed the owner was not present, he reportedly “put a gun to his head, fired a shot in the shop, and screamed at the caller to get hold of the owner.” Piazza reportedly said he was going to get a rifle and then left the shop, only to return and shatter the glass window trying to get back inside. Multiple officers were dispatched to the area, along with an armored vehicle. They ultimately surrounded Piazza at his home. Piazza refused to communicate with law enforcement officers and ignored commands to come out with his hands up. Piazza reportedly aimed a shotgun out his window directly at an officer, causing another officer to fire a single shot. Piazza died of that gunshot to the head. Investigators say it was later revealed that Piazza had threatened the life of an employee at a liquor shop earlier in the day, and that he was intoxicated on both alcohol and THC. They also found a note in his home on the kitchen counter that stated, “I’m sorry.” The Attorney General’s conclusion was based on a review and investigation by the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation.
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (KCRG) – The Iowa Attorney General’s Office determined the actions of three Cedar Rapids Police officers were justified when they shot a mentally disturbed man who pointed a gun at officers, killing that man. The shooting happened April 6, 2024 outside of homes on 31st Street NE in Cedar Rapids. A news release in April said officers responded to a welfare check on a man, who didn’t follow commands from officers, and then pointed a gun at the officers. A second person was also shot and hurt in the incident. Now the Attorney General’s Office says that man was David Vanderhamm of Cedar Rapids. Their investigation determined Vanderhamm’s mother called 911 around 2:20 p.m. asking law enforcement to take her son to the hospital for a mental health evaluation. She told authorities he was violent, paranoid and had access to a gun. Two officers took him to the hospital, but Vanderhamm then refused treatment and left. The release says Vanderhamm then started to call 911 repeatedly just after 6:30 p.m. He made statements saying he wanted to fight officers, treatened to kill officers, and claimed “he was a junkie who did not deserve to live.” His mother could be “heard pleading with Vanderhamm, ‘David don’t. David don’t.’ Vanderhamm was overheard declaring, “Headshot, I’m not aiming for knees.” As officers responded to the scene, Vanderhamm and his stepfather went outside and started to walk toward a busy street. When officers arrived, the release states Vanderhamm broke his phone, then started to swear and yell at officers before pointing his gun at a sergeant. That’s when officers fired. Vanderhamm’s stepfather was also shot twice at that time but survived. The Attorney General’s Office says the gun Vanderhamm used at the time was an airsoft rifle, which shoots plastic pieces.
DUBUQUE, Iowa (KCRG) – The priest accused of sexually abusing boys at a Dubuque school in the 1980s has had the charges against him dismissed. Attorneys for Father Leo Riley had filed a motion to dismiss the charges, arguing the statute of limitations had expired before the charges were filed against him. Riley was charged with five counts of sexual abuse. Prosecutors said he molested multiple altar boys while he served at Resurrection School in Dubuque from 1984-1986. Riley was arrested in April in Florida, where he is serving at a Catholic Church. Riley is also facing a lawsuit in Florida from a former student, who also claims Riley sexually abused him at a school there. Court documents filed on Monday confirmed the state acknowledged that the statute of limitations had run out on the charges against him from his time in Dubuque. The case is now dismissed.
IOWA CITY, Iowa (KCRG) – The Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation is investigating an officer-involved shooting in Iowa City on Monday morning. DCI officials said Iowa City police were called to the 1100 block of Wylde Green Road for a report of an armed, suicidal person at around 8:41 a.m. During the incident, a police officer shot the person. That person is now in the hospital. The person’s name has not been released. The officer involved in the incident will remain on paid administrative leave while the case remains under investigation. No additional information has been released, and officials said no more information is expected to be released until the investigation has been completed.
